LA council continues funding for Emergency Meals Program

The City Council voted Friday to allocate $480,000 for a program begun during the COVID-19 pandemic that provides meals to older adults.

The Department of Aging’s Emergency Meals Program, which has provided meals to more than 6,000 people each week, was set to end earlier this week. But the council voted unanimously for the funding, which will help the program operate for “a week or more,” according to a motion filed by Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez.

Food insecurity “continues to have a disparate impact on the physical and mental health of older adults,” the motion states.

The council also voted to instruct the department to review its budget and identify funding that could help further support the program.